Gosh, I have been so busy with a lot of things that it's suddenly June already! Is that really how time flies? I have to make a note of past months' highlights before I forget again. Talk about preggy hormones kicking in...I have been forgetful lately...
My last family antics post was about our February celebrations. March went by quickly too. That time we were already suspicious about me being pregnant. We confirmed that by April when we visited my OB again :) And even shared that in my previous post here.
Summer has been brief but we had FUN while it lasted. This year we got to go to the beach! Yay! and Kiel experienced his first plane ride :)
April 30 marked our second wedding anniversary, where we spent dinner at Cravings. I might have briefly told you about that here.
May 1, which is Philippine Labor Day, a National Holiday, is Mama's birthday :)
We decided to head off to Tagaytay, because it was ideally in between Manila and Batangas. We had buffet lunch at Josephine's.
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| Mamu and Kiel 8-) |
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| Happy birthday Mama! |
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| The compulsory Family Picture |
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| A wacky shot! |
Then we went to the new Sky Ranch after. Since it wasn't yet 100% finished, the entrance fee was discounted to only 50php instead of 100. Kiel loved the rides, especially the airplane. We got to try being on the "Sky Eye", which is the Tallest Ferris Wheel in the country to date, standing at 63 meters (207 ft).
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| Our Sky Eye ride (there's a little AC unit in each gondola so it's not that hot) |
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| Kiel and Lolo riding the Carousel |
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| Kiel loves the plane ride, he cried when it ended |
We ended the day visiting Nuvali and having dinner at Yellow Cab.
May 23-27 was our scheduled Boracay Trip. We booked our flights last year to get hold of the Zest Air Promo. Our flight was on the afternoon of May 23rd. Earlier that day, we went to Resorts World first and lad our lunch.
We headed to Naia 4 to wait for our flight. I am very happy that they had a Kiddie Traveller's Lounge. A prefect spot for a spirited toddler who gets bored easily with just waiting. It had a tv to watch cartoons/movies, a mini slide and playhouse, and you can borrow books and toys from the shelves. Kiel met his playmate Franco, who was 4 years old, whose family was also going to Boracay, the same flight as ours! Seeing them play together makes me excited for baby # 2! :) Oh, just remember to have a pair of socks for baby and the adult companion when playing in the Kiddie Lounge. Some kids weren't able to play just because they didn't have any socks on.
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| Kiel and Franco |
I was also happy to see a Baby station for breastfeeding, bottle feeding, diaper changing and maybe just a quiet space for the little babies. Of course, Mama was happy to see a Prayer Room.
The flight from Manila to Kalibo was just about 40 minutes. Kiel didn't cry or make tantrums, but he was as spirited as ever, getting all the magazines/brochures, staring at the window etc. But at least I'm happy he didn't cry, unlike one little girl at the back of the plane...
The bus from Kalibo to the Ferry took longer than the plane ride, about 1 and a half hour! Then the ferry to Boracay took another 15minutes, then the service from the Boracay port to our hotel took another 5-10 minutes. All in all I think we travelled about 3 hours or more (if you count the travel time from the house to the airport plus the waiting time to board) from Manila to Boracay! It was a tiring day! We reached our hotel at about 10pm already. Everyone was tired and headed to their rooms.
The last time I've been to Boracay was when I was a little girl (I think I was 6 or 7 years old). I vaguely remember the place, but I'm sure it was still somewhat a virgin Island. Ah yes, I've been to Boracay way before it's heydays and I can only see it in pictures. Today, Boracay is kinda crowded...too many people! We stayed at Station 1 where there were less of the restaurants, bars, and establishments. Perfect for families I think, because at the end of the day you get to rest at a quiet spot. Station 2 is more for singletons or the outgoing type of cliques.
Since I'm pregnant, I didn't get to experience the beach activities like the parasailing, helmet diving, and the fly fish. But I was okay with it, since I was the one to watch over Kiel. Most of the time we made tried to make sand castles (because Kiel kept smashing the ones I make, haha...he seems to do that often when we play with blocks or stacking cups) or swam by the shore while the others did their "activities". To be honest, It's not the missed activities I was regretting, but the chance to wear a bikini! particularly a Soak! Hello! We were in Boracay! Why not right? Well maybe I can still go back there and fulfill the dream of wearing a Soak Bikini some other time, hehe :)
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| Fly Fish |
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| Helmet Diving |
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| Parasailing |
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| Kiel digging daddy up in sand |
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| His attempt to make sand castles :) |
Kiel and I did get to join in the Island Hopping, where I joined snorkelling and we had yummy lunch at Puca Beach...and yeah, go around the Island in a boat :)
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| Kiel joins in on the boat ride! His life vest we bought at Toy Kingdom |
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Snorkelling time! And I easily get tired from the swimming because I
need to catch my breath every so often. Talk about preggy woes... |
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| Puca Beach |
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| Lunch by the beach |
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| Manny Pacquiao's Mansion :) |
A word of advice when dealing with the Manongs offering beach activities: ASK AROUND FIRST. Don't agree with the first guy who gives you a deal :) Others may give a better or even cheaper deal!
Aside from beach activities, Boracay has lots more to offer so you won't get bored. You can choose from a variety of food establishments, from the most classy to eating outdoors "dampa style". You can have henna tattoos or have your hair braided. Have a massage by the beach or even at the Spa! Watch fire dancers or the local kids make sand castles (Warning: they ask for tips..directly! hehe). Last but not least...SHOP! Aside from the Tiangge stalls, they have the D'Mall there too.
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| Kiel ready for the day's trip |
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| My henna |
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| Daddy's henna |
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| Kiel enjoys swimming with lolo |
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| Picture by the Sand Castle |
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To end this post, I wish to make a note of the Summer Essentials for your toddler. Whether you're going to breezy Tagaytay or Sunny Boracay, here are some of the notable things we needed for Kiel during those Summer trips:
- Baby/Kid Sunblock - to keep the little one's skin safe from sun burn. We use Indigo Baby's Sunblock.
- Sun hat (shameless plug on our Honeybaby reversible sunhats, hihi) - I always bring a hat for Kiel everywhere we go. Rain or Shine, it's protection for his little head :)
- Extra Clothes - Especially when his clothes get messy from food stains or dirt or even just from sweat.
- Face Towel and Back Towel - Summer months are extra hot, sometimes even humid. Kiel gets all sweaty, so I make sure we have back towels (yes with an 's'..sometimes daddy and I need them too!) in our bag. Plus a bimpo or face towel just for cleaning up his face.
- Water and Snacks - to keep the little one hydrated, we carry water just for him (distilled water as much as possible, so yes, the usual Wilkins or Absolute). And we have snacks handy when he suddenly gets hungry. Crackers, cookies, and puffs are his usual baon. The snacks also serve as temporary "distraction" when he gets fussy at times.
- Sanitizer/Alcohol - You're never sure if the seats or the things your toddler is using/touching is clean. Call me OC but we've had our share of Emergency Room visits and the usual cause of Kiel's fever is viral infection.
Prevention is better than cure is what they say, and I'd like to keep Kiel's hands and the things he touches somewhat clean :)
- Citronella Bug Spray - Better keep the bugs away too! We use the Human Nature Citronella Spray
Hope you had a fun summer too!
1 comments
Thanks for sharing this post, Mommy Lique! I took note of your beach essentials and will see if I have them.
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